Shake jig for installing shake siding

ABSTRACT

A method and system for installing shakes on a building comprising a ledger board and a shake jig for assisting with installation of shakes. The shake jig comprising a base member supporting an adjustable member with a releasably fastener facilitating releaseable retention of the adjustable member in a desired relative position with respect to the base member. The base member has a shake shelf for abutting against a surface of a shake to prevent further insertion of the base member, between an installed topmost shake and an at least partially overlapped shake, and facilitate desired alignment of the shake jig with respect to the installed topmost shake. The adjustable member has a ledger shelf for engaging with the ledger board and retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontal orientation with respect to the shake shelf and assisting with installation of shakes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel shake jig which facilitatesinstalling shake siding to a building while ensuring that the bottomedges of each shake, in a horizontal row, are properly aligned with oneanother in a substantially horizontal plane and precisely spaced fromthe previously install row of horizontal shakes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of different mechanisms and techniques are currently utilizedby carpenters and/or installers when installing shakes, such as cedarshakes and the like, to a side of a building. One common technique isthe use of a “snapped” horizontal chalk line extending from one edge ofthe building to the opposite edge of the building which is used as aguide when installing the shakes to the building. After a horizontal rowof shakes is installed on the building using the “snapped” chalk line asa guide, another chalk line is then “snapped” to the side of thebuilding for the next row and so forth until the entire side of thebuilding has been sided with the shakes. This process is repeated foreach side of the building. Such technique, although very accurate, is aquite cumbersome and time consuming and generally slows downinstallation process for the shakes to the building.

While there are a variety of other methods and processes which are knownand utilized to assist with installing shakes to the siding of abuilding, none of them, heretofore, have been relatively simple and easyto use while also reducing the installation time and effort while still,at the same time, assisting reliable installation of shakes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome theabove noted drawbacks associated with the prior art techniques.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shake jig whichis relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to utilize while, atthe same time, provides accurate and reliable installation of shakes toa side of a building.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a shake jigwhich is easy to insert between adjacent overlapped horizontal rows orlayers of installed shakes so as to facilitate reliable retention of theshake jig to a wall of a building while also being easy to remove fromthe adjacent rows or layers of shakes, following installation of adesired section of shakes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shake jigwith an adjustability feature which provides the installer with theability to compensate for any unevenness of the shakes, the buildingand/or any other imperfections which are prevalent in a building orstructure and hinder accurate installation of shakes to a building.

A still further object of the present invention is to permit adjustmentof the relative position of the ledger shelf, relative to the shakeshelf, to compensate for any unevenness of the shakes, the buildingand/or any other imperfections which are prevalent in a building orstructure.

Yet another object of the present invention is to substantially doublethe installation speed of shakes, by using the shake jig, while stillmaintaining accurate installation of the shakes.

The present invention also relates to a shake jig for assisting withinstallation of shakes, the shake jig comprising: a base membersupporting an adjustable member and a releasably fastener facilitatingreleaseable retention of the adjustable member in a desired relativeposition with respect to the base member; the base member having a shakeshelf for abutting against a surface of a shake to prevent furtherinsertion of the base member, between an installed topmost shake and anat least partially overlapped shake, and facilitate desired alignment ofthe shake jig with respect to the installed topmost shake; and theadjustable member having a ledger shelf for engaging with a ledger boardand retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontal orientation withrespect to the shake shelf and assisting with installation of shakes.

The present invention also relates to a system for installing shakes ona building, the system comprising: a ledger board; a shake jig forassisting with installation of shakes, the shake jig comprising: a basemember supporting an adjustable member and a releasably fastenerfacilitating releaseable retention of the adjustable member in a desiredrelative position with respect to the base member; the base memberhaving a shake shelf for abutting against a surface of a shake toprevent further insertion of the base member, between an installedtopmost shake and an at least partially overlapped shake, and facilitatedesired alignment of the shake jig with respect to the installed topmostshake; and the adjustable member having a ledger shelf for engaging withthe ledger board and retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontalorientation with respect to the shake shelf and assisting withinstallation of shakes.

The present invention also relates to a method of installing shakes to abuilding via a ledger board and first and second shake jigs with each ofthe first and the second shake jigs comprising a base member supportingan adjustable member and a releasably fastener for facilitatingreleaseable retention of the adjustable member in a desired relativeposition with respect to the base member; the base member having a shakeshelf for abutting against a surface of a shake to prevent furtherinsertion of the base member, between an installed topmost shake and anat least partially overlapped shake, and facilitate desired alignment ofthe shake jig with respect to the installed topmost shake; and theadjustable member having a ledger shelf for engaging with the ledgerboard and retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontal orientationwith respect to the shake shelf and assisting with installation ofshakes, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a leading end ofthe first shake jig between an installed topmost shake and an at leastpartially overlapped shake; inserting a leading end of the second shakejig between another installed topmost shake and another at leastpartially overlapped shake such that the first shake jig is spaced fromthe second shake jig; supporting the ledger board on the ledger shelf ofeach of the first and the second shake jigs; arranging shakes to beinstalled on a top surface of the ledger board; and securing the shakes,arranged on the top surface of the ledger board, to the building.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the shake jig according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side left elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side left elevational view showing engagement of the shakejig with both a shake and a ledger board;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along section line of 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view along section line of 5-5 of FIG. 2showing a further embodiment for guiding the adjustable member;

FIG. 6 shows a pair of spaced apart shake jigs supported by a pair ofinstalled shakes with a ledger board being supported by and extendingbetween the pair of shake jigs with a row of shakes, to be installed,resting on a top surface of the ledger board; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic side left elevational view showing engagementof the shake jig between a pair of adjacent overlapped rows of shakewith a ledger board being supported by the ledger board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, 5 and 5A, a detailed description concerningthe various components of the shake jig 2 will now be provided. As canbe seen in those Figures, the shake jig 2 generally comprises a basemember 4 which supports and adjustable member 6 which ismovable/slidable relative to the base member 4. A releasable fastener,e.g., a wing nut or nut 8 secured to a threaded shaft 9, facilitatesreleasably securing of the adjusted position of the adjustable member 6relative to the base member 4.

As can be seen if FIG. 3, a first section of the base member 4 isgenerally L-shaped and comprises an elongate clamping leg 10 which has aslight bend or camber 11 along its length adjacent a leading end 14thereof the purpose of which will become apparent in view of thefollowing description. Due to the bend or camber 11 of the clamping leg10, once the clamping leg 10 is inserted between an installed topmostshake 20 and an at least partially overlapped shakes 20′—as describedbelow in further detail—the camber 11 of the clamping leg 10 is forcedinto a substantially planar configuration (see FIG. 7) and thisstraightening of the clamping leg 10, in turn, assists the clamping leg10 with generating sufficient friction and/or pressure, between thetopmost shake 20 and the at least partially overlapped shakes 20′ so asto securely retain the shake jig 2 in its installed position, betweensuch pair of partially overlapped shakes 20, 20′, during use of theshake jig(s) 2′.

To further assist with securely retaining the shake jig 2, between thetopmost shake 20 and the at least partially overlapped shakes 20′, aplurality of protrusions or gripping features 12 are formed on anoutwardly facing surface 15 adjacent a leading end 14 of the clampingleg 10. The plurality of protrusions or gripping features 12 facilitateretention of the shake jig 2 in the installed position shown in FIGS. 6and 7. Preferably between two to about twenty or so separate spacedapart protrusions or gripping features 12 are provided on the outwardlyfacing surface 15 of the clamping leg 10. The plurality of protrusionsor gripping features 12 only project a small distance, e.g., betweenabout 0.005 of an inch to about 0.250 of an inch and more preferablyabout 0.063 inches or so, from the outwardly facing surface 15 of theclamping leg 10 so as not to hinder insertion of the shake jig 2,between the topmost shake 20 and the at least partially overlappedshakes 20′, but still assist with secure retention of the shake jig 2.

The opposite end of the clamping leg 10 terminates in a sharpsubstantially right angle bend and this bent section of the base member4 forms a shake shelf 16 which facilitates abutting the shake jig 2against a lower downwardly facing surface 18 of the topmost installedshake 20, of a pair of partially overlapped shakes 20, 20′, followinginstallation of the shake jig 2 in the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

A generally J-shaped section 22 is integrally formed with andinterconnects the shake shelf 16 with a substantially planar support leg24. The support leg 24 extends generally parallel to a lower section ofthe clamping leg 10, adjacent the shake shelf 16, but is spacedtherefrom by a distance of about ¾ of an inch to about 1 and ¾ of aninch or so and more preferably is spaced therefrom by about 1¼ of aninch or so from one another. Such spacing of the support leg 24 from theclamping leg 10 must be sufficiently to allow a topmost shake 20 as wellas a coarse or ledger board 26 to be located therebetween (see FIGS. 4and 7) while still captively retaining those two components in a securebut releasable fashion. A U-shaped finger grip 28 is formed in the lowerportion of the J-shaped section 22 which facilitates removing orwithdrawing the shake jig 2 from the installed position shown in FIGS. 6and 7 following installation of a desired section of shakes to the sideof the building.

A remote end 30 of the support leg 24 has an elongate slot 32 (see FIG.2 for example) formed therein and this elongate slot 32 receives onecomponent of the releasable fastener, e.g., the threaded shaft, a boltor a screw 9, for example. The elongate slot 32 permits sliding movementof the threaded shaft, a bolt or a screw 9 within and along the slot 32,the purpose of which will become apparent in view of the followingdescription. The elongated slot 32 generally has a length of between ⅛of an inch to about 1 inch or so and more preferably has a length ofbetween ⅜ of an inch to about ¾ of an inch or so.

The mating releaseable fasteners, e.g., the threaded shaft, the bolt orthe screw 9 and a mating nut or wing nut 8, for example, facilitatesecuring the adjustable member 6 to an inwardly facing surface 34 of thesupport leg 24 at a desired relative position. The end 36 of theadjustable member 6, normally located adjacent the generally J-shapedsection 22, has a sharp substantially right angle bend which forms aledger shelf 38 that extends inwardly toward and generally parallel tothe shake shelf 16, but is spaced therefrom by a small distance so as topermit relative sliding movement between the ledger shelf 38 of theadjustable member 6 and the shake shelf 16 of the base member 4. Theopposite end 40 of the adjustable member 6 extends generally parallel tothe support leg 24 and terminates in a curvature which curves outwardly,away from the clamping leg 10, and this curved end forms a gripping area41 for a finger of an installer to assist with adjusting the relativeposition between the adjustable member 6 and the base member 4 as wellas facilitates insertion of a ledger board 26 on the ledger shelf 38.

The adjustable member 6 can either support a threaded rod or shaft 9affixed to a sufficiently flat head 42 with the threaded rod or shaft 9extending through a bore (not separately labeled) in the adjustablemember 6, or alternatively threaded rod or shaft 9 can be fastened,e.g., welded, to an outwardly facing surface 44 of the adjustable member6 with this threaded rod 10 being aligned with and extends through theelongate slot 32 and thereby facilitate adjustment of the adjustablemember 6 and the base member 4.

To assist with guiding the adjustable member 6 to and fro along thesupport leg 24, of the base member 4, so that a longitudinal axis of theadjustable member 6 remains substantially aligned and parallel with alongitudinal axis of the support leg 24 of the base member 4 and theledger shelf 38 remains substantially parallel to the shake shelf 16, asection of the support leg 24 may be provided with at least one and morepreferably a pair of spaced apart guide grooves, recesses and/orprotrusions 46 while the adjustable member 6 is provided with one ormore mating guide protrusions, grooves and/or recesses 48 (see FIG. 5).Alternatively, as can be seen in see FIG. 5A, one or both lateral sidesof the adjustment member 6 may partially wrap around 58 either one orboth opposed lateral sides of the support leg 24 to assist with guidingthe adjustable member 6 along the support leg 24.

Preferably, as can be seen in FIG. 2, an outwardly facing surface of thesupport leg 24 of the base member 4, along the elongate slot 32, isprovided with measurement scale or grid 60 while the adjustable member 6carries an index finger or pointer 62, which cooperates with themeasurement grid or scale 60, to display the relative position of theledger shelf 38 with respect to the shake shelf 16 with a “0” positionindicating that the shake shelf 16 and the ledger shelf 38 are preciselyaligned with one another. The U-shaped finger grip 28, of the lowerportion of the J-shaped section 22, ample space so that both the ledgershelf 38 and a portion of the ledger board 26 may be at least partiallyaccommodated within the U-shaped finger grip 28 during use of the shakejig 2.

Use of the Shake Jig

With reference to FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, installation and use of the shakejig 2 will now be described. When use of the shake jig 2 is desired, theoperator grabs a first shake jig 2 and inserts the leading end 14 of theclamping leg 10 between a topmost shake 20 and a shake 20′ positionedadjacent but installed below and at least partially overlapped by thetopmost shake 20 such that the leading end of the clamping leg 10 issandwiched between those two adjacent shakes 20, 20′. The bend or camber11 of the clamping leg 10, as well as the one or more plurality ofprotrusions or gripping features 12 facilitate retention of the shakejig 2 in the installed position between the two adjacent shakes 20, 20′as shown in FIG. 7. It is to be appreciated that the shake jig 2 isgenerally inserted sufficiently far so that the bottom lower downwardlyfacing surface 18 of the shake 20 abuts against the shake ledge 16. Thisensures positioning and proper alignment of the shake jig 2 with thetopmost shake 20.

One this is achieved, a second shake jig 2 is positioned, in a similarfashion in a spaced relationship to the first shake jig (e.g., between apair of adjacent shakes 20, 20′ such that the shake ledge 16 abutsagainst the respective bottom lower downwardly facing surface 18 of thetopmost shake 20 as shown in FIG. 6). Typically the first and the secondshake jigs 2 are spaced from one another by a distance of between about2 feet to about 8 feet or so, depending upon the length of the course orledge board. A ledger board 26 is then inserted and accommodated betweenthe top most shakes 20 and the adjustable members 6 of the pair ofspaced apart shake jigs 2 such that the lower edge of the ledger board26 abuts with and is supported by the ledger shelf 38 of each of thepair of spaced apart shake jigs 2. Thereafter, the installer then placesa plurality of the shakes 20″ to be installed along the top surface 27of the ledger board 26 and the installer is then able to rearrangeand/or reposition the shakes 20″ to be installed in a desired order,spacing, position and/or orientation in relation to the previouslyinstalled shakes and/or one another in accordance with the conventionalsiding practice. Once the shakes 20″ to be installed, are suitablyarranged on the top surface 27 of the ledger board 26, the installerthen nails, screws or otherwise permanently fastens or secures theshakes 20″ to be installed to the wall in a conventional manner.

Next, the installer removes the ledger board 26 from the pair of spacedapart shake jigs 2 and then places his/her index finger in the fingergrip 28, formed in the lower J-shaped section 22 of each shake jig 2 andtugs in a vertically downward direction so that the clamping leg 10 isretracted and removed from its installed location between the pair ofadjacent overlapped shakes 20, 20′. Once this occurs, the installer thenrepeats the above procedure by reinserting the first and the secondshake jigs 2 in a sufficiently spaced relationship from one another at adifferent location along the wall of the building being sided, asdescribed above. The process continues until the entire the building issided with the shakes.

It is to be appreciated that the installer will occasionally, e.g., onceevery three to seven horizontal rows of installed shakes, run a chalkline from one edge of the building to the opposite edge of the buildingto ensure that the shake jig 2 is operating properly and no modificationto the relative position, between the ledger shelf 38 and the shakeshelf 16 is required. However, if the chalk line reveals anydiscrepancy, the installer can then adjust the relativeposition/orientation of one or both of the adjustment members 6 eitherto slightly increase or decrease the spacing between horizontal rows ofshakes 20 and thereby compensate for any misalignment or installationdiscrepancies which may have occurred during the installation process.

Preferably the shake jig 2 is manufactured entirely from a resilientmaterial such as spring steel, which provides increased resistance tobending and fatigue. It is to be appreciated, however, thatalternatively the shake jig 2 can be manufactured from a variety ofother materials, other than spring steel, e.g., such as plastic or thelike. The important aspect of the shake jig 2 is that it is sufficientlyrigid and durable to facilitate retention of the ledger board 26 in adesired horizontal orientation along a side of a building and facilitatesupport and installation of the shakes 20″ to be installed.

The shake jig 2 typically has a width of between one-quarter of an inchor so to about five inches or so and more preferably has a width ofbetween about one-half of an inch to about two inches. The shake jig 2preferably has a thickness of between about 1/32 to about ⅛ of an inchesand preferably about a 1/16 of an inch or so. The shake jig 2 typicallyhas an overall length of between about three inches or so to about nineinches or so and more preferably has an overall length of between aboutfive inches to about seven inches or so.

Although the releasable threaded fasteners is generally described asbeing a combination of a bolt and a wing nut 9, 8, it is to beappreciated that a variety of other kinds and types of conventional andwell known releasable fasteners can be employed. The important aspect ofthe releasable fastener is that it allows adjustment of the relativeposition of the adjustable member 6, with respect to the base member 4,while still being able to retain those two members 4, 6 in a desiredorientation and/or position with respect to one another.

The ledger board 26 preferably has a length of between about one foot toabout sixteen feet of so and more preferably has a length of about twofeet to about eight feet or so. It is to be appreciated that the ledgerboard 26 can be manufactured from a variety of other materials such aswood, plastic, metal, etc. According to the shown embodiment of FIGS.1-7, the ledger board 26 is generally a wooden plank having a thicknessof about three-quarters of an inch or so and also have constant desiredwidth, e.g., a width of between about three inches to about 7 inches orso and preferably a width of about three and one half inches. Theimportant aspect of the ledger board 26 is that the two opposed sidesthereof be substantially parallel to one another so as to space anysupported shakes 20″ to be installed at a desired distance away from thepair of ledger supports carried by the shake jigs 2. It is to beappreciated that the width of the ledger board 26 determines the spacingof the bottom lower downwardly facing surface 18, of the set of theshakes 20″ to be installed, from the bottom lower downwardly facingsurface 18 of the previously installed shake 20.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described shake jig andinstallation method, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matterof the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept hereinand shall not be construed as limiting the invention.

1. A shake jig for assisting with installation of shakes, the shake jigcomprising: a base member supporting an adjustable member and areleasably fastener facilitating releaseable retention of the adjustablemember in a desired relative position with respect to the base member;the base member having a shake shelf for abutting against a surface of ashake to prevent further insertion of the base member, between aninstalled topmost shake and an at least partially overlapped shake, andfacilitate desired alignment of the shake jig with respect to theinstalled topmost shake; and the adjustable member having a ledger shelffor engaging with a ledger board and retaining the ledger board in adesired horizontal orientation with respect to the shake shelf andassisting with installation of shakes.
 2. The shake jig according toclaim 1, wherein a first leading section of the base member is L-shapedand comprises an elongate clamping leg which has a slight bend or camberalong its length, and an opposite end of the clamping leg supports theshake shelf.
 3. The shake jig according to claim 1, wherein the shakeshelf extends substantially at a right angle to the clamping leg of theshake jig.
 4. The shake jig according to claim 1, wherein at least oneprotrusion or gripping feature is formed on an outwardly facing surfaceof the clamping leg, adjacent a leading end thereof to facilitateretention of the shake jig following insertion of the clamping legbetween the installed topmost shake and the at least partiallyoverlapped shake.
 5. The shake jig according to claim 1, wherein aplurality of protrusions or gripping features are formed on an outwardlyfacing surface of the clamping leg, adjacent a leading end thereof, tofacilitate retention of the shake jig following insertion of theclamping leg between the installed topmost shake and the at leastpartially overlapped shake.
 6. The shake jig according to claim 1,wherein a section of the support leg has at least one guide feature andthe adjustable member has at least one mating guide feature whichcooperate with one another and assists with guiding movement of theadjustable member along the support leg such that a longitudinal axis ofthe adjustable member remains substantially aligned and parallel with alongitudinal axis of the support leg and the ledger shelf remainssubstantially parallel to the shake shelf.
 7. The shake jig according toclaim 1, wherein at least one lateral side of the adjustable memberpartially wraps around a lateral side of the support leg to assist withguiding the adjustable member along the support leg such that alongitudinal axis of the adjustable member remains substantially alignedand parallel with a longitudinal axis of the support leg and the ledgershelf remains substantially parallel to the shake shelf.
 8. The shakejig according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the support leg isprovided with a scale and the adjustable member carries a pointer, andthe point cooperates with the scale to display a relative position ofthe ledger shelf with respect to the shake shelf.
 9. The shake jigaccording to claim 8, wherein when the point points to a “0” position ofthe scale, this position indicates that the shake shelf and the ledgershelf are aligned with one another
 10. The shake jig according to claim1, wherein a leading end of the adjustable member curves away from theclamping leg and to form a gripping surface for a finger of an installerto facilitate insertion of a ledger board on the ledger shelf and assistwith adjusting a relative position between the adjustable member and thebase member.
 11. A system for installing shakes on a building, thesystem comprising: a ledger board; a shake jig for assisting withinstallation of shakes, the shake jig comprising: a base membersupporting an adjustable member and a releasably fastener facilitatingreleaseable retention of the adjustable member in a desired relativeposition with respect to the base member; the base member having a shakeshelf for abutting against a surface of a shake to prevent furtherinsertion of the base member, between an installed topmost shake and anat least partially overlapped shake, and facilitate desired alignment ofthe shake jig with respect to the installed topmost shake; and theadjustable member having a ledger shelf for engaging with the ledgerboard and retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontal orientationwith respect to the shake shelf and assisting with installation ofshakes.
 12. The shake jig according to claim 11, wherein a first leadingsection of the base member is L-shaped and comprises an elongateclamping leg which has a slight bend or camber along its length, and anopposite end of the clamping leg supports the shake shelf.
 13. The shakejig according to claim 11, wherein the shake shelf extends substantiallyat a right angle to the clamping leg of the shake jig.
 14. The shake jigaccording to claim 11, wherein at least one protrusion or grippingfeature is formed on an outwardly facing surface of the clamping leg,adjacent a leading end thereof, to facilitate retention of the shake jigfollowing insertion of the clamping leg between the installed topmostshake and the at least partially overlapped shake.
 15. The shake jigaccording to claim 11, wherein a plurality of protrusions or grippingfeatures are formed on an outwardly facing surface of the clamping leg,adjacent a leading end thereof to facilitate retention of the shake jigfollowing insertion of the clamping leg between the installed topmostshake and the at least partially overlapped shake.
 16. The shake jigaccording to claim 11, wherein a section of the support leg has at leastone guide feature and the adjustable member has at least one matingguide feature which cooperate with one another and assists with guidingmovement of the adjustable member along the support leg such that alongitudinal axis of the adjustable member remains substantially alignedand parallel with a longitudinal axis of the support leg and the ledgershelf remains substantially parallel to the shake shelf.
 17. The shakejig according to claim 11, wherein at least one lateral side of theadjustable member partially wraps around a lateral side of the supportleg to assist with guiding the adjustable member along the support legsuch that a longitudinal axis of the adjustable member remainssubstantially aligned and parallel with a longitudinal axis of thesupport leg and the ledger shelf remains substantially parallel to theshake shelf.
 18. The shake jig according to claim 11, wherein a surfaceof the support leg is provided with a scale and the adjustable membercarries a pointer, and the point cooperates with the scale to display arelative position of the ledger shelf with respect to the shake shelf.19. The shake jig according to claim 18, wherein when the point pointsto a “0” position of the scale, this position indicates that the shakeshelf and the ledger shelf are aligned with one another.
 20. A method ofinstalling shakes to a building via a ledger board and first and secondshake jigs with each of the first and the second shake jigs comprising abase member supporting an adjustable member and a releasably fastenerfor facilitating releaseable retention of the adjustable member in adesired relative position with respect to the base member; the basemember having a shake shelf for abutting against a surface of a shake toprevent further insertion of the base member, between an installedtopmost shake and an at least partially overlapped shake, and facilitatedesired alignment of the shake jig with respect to the installed topmostshake; and the adjustable member having a ledger shelf for engaging withthe ledger board and retaining the ledger board in a desired horizontalorientation with respect to the shake shelf and assisting withinstallation of shakes, the method comprising the steps of: inserting aleading end of the first shake jig between an installed topmost shakeand an at least partially overlapped shake; inserting a leading end ofthe second shake jig between another installed topmost shake and anotherat least partially overlapped shake such that the first shake jig isspaced from the second shake jig; supporting the ledger board on theledger shelf of each of the first and the second shake jigs; arrangingshakes to be installed on a top surface of the ledger board; andsecuring the shakes, arranged on the top surface of the ledger board, tothe building.